Safety bypass gate for emergency exit from watering area to feeding area in livestock facility

ABSTRACT

A safety bypass gate is provided for use with a livestock management system having a sorting scale arranged between watering and feeding areas. The safety bypass gate changes from a closed position to an open position to provide an emergency exit from the watering area when a condition exists that prevents animals from passing over the sorting scale. The safety bypass gate includes a pair of pivoting gate members and a channel member that fits over the top edges of the gate members to secure them closed. The channel member is attached to a pneumatic actuator that uses air pressure to hold the channel member in its locked position, and a spring return that moves the channel member to its unlocked position upon a drop in air pressure. Springs bias the gate members from their closed positions to their open positions when the channel member moves to its unlocked position.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/754,591 filed on May 29, 2007 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,966,976. Thisapplication also claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/810,493 filed on Jun. 1, 2006. The entirecontents of these prior applications are incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to livestock management systems andmethods in which animals are kept in a pen having a watering areaseparate from a feeding area, and in particular, to a safety bypass gateused to provide an emergency passage for animals upon occurrence ofabnormal events that block a normal passage across a sorting scalebetween the watering and feeding areas.

2. Description of the Related Art

Split-weight feeding systems using automated sorting mechanisms are usedin livestock facilities to improve feeding efficiencies, to limit theweight distribution spread of the animals in the herd, and to reducesort losses at market. An example of a split-weight feeding system isdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,428. This split-weight feeding systemrelies upon the continuous natural pattern of movement of the animals towater and then back to their preferred feeding area within a large penconfiguration. The animals pass through a sorting mechanism (e.g., ascale with sorting gates) as they move between the watering and feedingareas.

Abnormal events can sometimes block the normal flow between the wateringand feeding areas and raise the stress levels on the animals. Under someabnormal circumstances, the water pen may become overpopulated or theanimals may be blocked from the feeding or watering areas, leading toanimal injury or loss. To manage these problems, producers must walktheir pens regularly and maintain close supervision to prevent orintercede if such abnormal events occur.

Accordingly, a need exists for a system that provides an improvedmeasure of safety in an automated livestock feeding system, particularlywhen abnormal events occur that would otherwise tend to prevent animalsfrom moving between their watering and feeding areas.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus andmethod for use in a livestock facility to provide an emergency passagebetween watering and feeding areas.

To accomplish this object, the applicant has developed a safety bypassgate for use with a livestock management system having a sorting scalearranged between watering and feeding areas. The safety bypass gatechanges from a closed position to an open position to provide anemergency exit from the watering area when a condition exists thatprevents animals from passing over the sorting scale. The safety bypassgate includes a pair of pivoting gate members and a channel member thatfits over the top edges of the gate members to secure them closed. Thechannel member is attached to a pneumatic actuator that uses airpressure to hold the channel member in its locked position, and a springreturn that moves the channel member to its unlocked position upon adrop in air pressure. Springs bias the gate members from their closedpositions to their open positions when the channel member moves to itsunlocked position.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a livestock managementsystem is provided, comprising: a feeding area; a watering area; a firstpassage between the watering area and the feeding area; a safety bypassgate having a closed position and an open position for allowing animalsto pass through a second passage between the watering area and thefeeding area; and a means for moving the gate from the closed positionto the open position to provide an emergency exit through the secondpassage when the first passage becomes blocked.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a safety bypassgate for use in a livestock facility is provided, comprising: a firstgate member mounted for pivotal movement about a first vertical axisalong one side for movement between a closed position and an openposition; a first spring arranged to bias the first gate member from itsclosed position to its open position; and a locking mechanism having achannel member that is movable between a locked position in which thechannel member straddles a top edge of the gate member to hold the gatemember in its closed position, and an unlocked position in which thechannel member is disengaged from the gate member to allow the gatemember to move to its open position.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method ofmanaging livestock is provided, comprising: providing a pen having awatering area separate from a feeding area; sorting animals as they passbetween the watering and feeding areas; and opening a safety bypass gatebetween the watering and feeding areas upon occurrence of a conditionthat blocks a normal passage between the watering and feeding areas.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more clearly appreciated as thedisclosure of the present invention is made with reference to theaccompanying drawings. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a safety bypass gate in its closedposition according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the safety bypass gate shown in FIG.1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the safety bypass gate shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the safety bypass gate shown in FIG.1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the safety bypass gate in its openposition.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the safety bypass gate shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the safety bypass gateaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic plan view of a pen layout for a livestockmanagement system using the safety bypass gate according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic plan view of the pen layout shown in FIG. 8with the safety bypass gate in its open position.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the operation of the safety bypass gatein a livestock management system according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A safety bypass gate and livestock management system according to thepresent invention will now be described in detail with reference toFIGS. 1 to 10 of the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the safety bypass gate 10 includes a frame 11comprising top and bottom frame members 12, 13, and right and leftvertical side frame members 14, 15. Floor anchor holes 16 are providedin the bottom frame member 13 to secure the gate 10 to the floor of apen in which it is used. The vertical side frame members 14, 15 can alsobe fastened to pen dividers, walls, or stationary posts to secure thebypass gate 10 in a desired location.

A first gate member 17 is mounted to the right side frame member 14using a first hinge 18 for pivotal movement about a first vertical axis.A second gate member 19 is mounted to the left side frame member 15using a second hinge 20 for pivotal movement about a second verticalaxis. Bushings 21 can be used in the hinges 18, to ensure smooth pivotalmovement of the gate members 17, 19. The first and second gate members17, 19 are movable about the first and second hinges 18, 20,respectively, between a closed position (FIGS. 1 to 4) and an openposition (FIGS. 5 and 6). In the closed position, the top edges 22 ofthe gate members 17, 19 are generally aligned with each other. First andsecond coil springs 23, 24 are arranged on the first and second hinges18, 20 for biasing the gate members 17, 19 toward their open position toencourage animal flow when the bypass gate 10 is unlocked.

A locking mechanism 25 is provided for holding the gate members 17, 19in their closed position during normal operation, and for releasing thegate members 17, 19 to their open position to provide an emergency exitwhen abnormal conditions exist. The locking mechanism 25 includes a gatelocking channel member 26 that is in a locked position when lowered andan unlocked position when raised. In the locked position, the channelmember 26 straddles the top edges 21, 22 of the gate members 17, 19 withopposing surfaces of the channel member 26 engaging front and back sidesof the gate members 17, 19 to hold the gate members 17, 19 in theirclosed position. In the unlocked position, the channel member 26 israised and disengaged from the gate members 17, 19 to allow the gatemembers 17, 19 to move to their open position.

The channel member 26 is attached to a cylinder rod 27 of a pneumaticactuator 28, which uses air pressure to extend the cylinder rod 27 tohold the channel member 26 in its lowered, locked position. A returnspring 29 is provided within the pneumatic actuator 28 to retract thecylinder rod 27 to move the channel member 26 to its raised, unlockedposition upon a drop in air pressure. The actuator 28 is attached to thetop frame member 12 by threaded fasteners 30. As explained below,various abnormal conditions in the livestock facility may be detectedand used as a trigger to unlock the locking mechanism 25 and open thegate members 17, 19 of the bypass gate 10. For example, the abnormalconditions can include a loss of air pressure, loss of electric power,and/or activation of an idle alert function in the controller of asorting scale.

Because the pneumatic actuator 28 is exposed to an aggressive, dustyenvironment, the part of the cylinder rod 27 that is retracted into thecylinder 31 of the actuator 28 is protected by a rubber boot 32 and isnot exposed to the animals or dust. The cylinder rod 27 of the actuator28 is preferably made of stainless steel to prevent corrosion over time.The hinge springs 23, 24 for the gate members 17, 19 are also preferablymade of stainless steel.

As described above, the safety bypass gate 10 of the present inventiondoes not rely on air pressure to hold the gate members 17, 19 inposition; instead it relies on the mechanical interaction between thechannel member 26 and the top edges 22 of the gate members 17, 19. Thisarrangement makes the gate 10 resistant to cylinder leakage ordeterioration over time, and changes in air pressure have no effectuntil the force delivered by the air pressure drops below the force ofthe return spring 29. At that point, the channel member 26 is withdrawnand the gate 10 is allowed to open, with the gate hinge springs 23, 24functioning to fully open the gate 10. Even if the gate hinge springs23, 24 are damaged, the gate 10 can be fully opened easily by theanimals once the channel member 26 is disengaged.

The safety bypass gate 10 described above is particularly suitable foruse in a livestock facility having a sorting scale 35 arranged between acommon watering area 36 and first and second feeding areas 37, 38, asshown in FIG. 8. An example of such a livestock facility is disclosed,for example, in the applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,428, which isincorporated herein by reference. Such a livestock facility has beenused effectively for raising pigs and relies upon the continuous naturalpattern of movement of the pigs to water and then back to theirpreferred feeding area within a large pen configuration. For example,the common watering area 36 may comprise about 20% of the total penarea, while the feeding areas 37, 38 may comprise the other 80% of thetotal pen area, and groups of 500 to 600 pigs may be kept in the pen.

One or more safety bypass gates 10 can be used in such a livestockfacility to provide an emergency exit from the watering area 36 wheneverabnormal conditions exist that prevent animals from passing over thesorting scale 35 to return to the feeding areas 37, 38. When suchabnormal conditions exist, the normal flow of animals is blocked, thestress levels on the animals increases, and the watering area 36 maybecome overpopulated, leading to animal injury or loss. While thesorting scale 35 provides a first, primary passage from the wateringarea 36 back to the feeding areas 37, 38, the safety bypass gate 10provides a second, emergency passage when the first passage through thescale 35 becomes blocked.

With the safety bypass gates 10 in their closed position, as shown inFIG. 8, the animals will have a normal routine of passing from thefeeding areas 37, 38 through one-way gates 39, 40 into the commonwatering area 36, and then return to the feeding areas 37, 38 throughthe sorting scale 35. The sorting scale 35 has a first sorting positionfor causing animals to pass from the watering area 36 to the firstfeeding area 37, and a second sorting position for causing animals topass from the watering area 36 to the second feeding area 38. Thesorting scale 35 can be used to sort the animals into different feedinggroups based on their detected weights or other predetermined sortingcriteria.

A number of different events or conditions can be used as a trigger toallow the safety bypass gates 10 to move from their closed positions totheir open positions, as shown in FIG. 9, to allow animals to exit fromthe watering area 36 without passing over the sorting scale 35. Asdepicted in the flowchart of FIG. 10, these events/conditions include:(1) loss of air pressure; (2) loss of electric power; and (3) activationof an idle alert function caused by below-normal scale use rates (e.g.,mechanical damage or blockage of the sorting scale, load cell failure,incorrect controller settings, etc.). A brief discussion of each ofthese events/conditions will be provided below to aid in betterunderstanding the invention.

Loss of Air Pressure

This event may occur if the air compressor fails and no back-up, standbycompressor exists, or if an air line breaks, or if power to thecompressor(s) is interrupted. If the sorting scale 35 is pneumaticallyoperated, it will be unable to actuate its gates and may go into a “limpmode” in which the entrance and exit gates can be operated by theanimals. If the total animal population in the pen is high and normaltraffic through the scale 35 is high, then passage through the scale 35may be too slow to prevent overcrowding in the watering area 36. Sincethe safety bypass gate 10 is held in its closed, locked position bymaintaining air pressure at the pneumatic actuator 28, the gate 10 willautomatically unlock and open to relieve the watering area 36 as soon asthe air pressure drops below the force of the return spring 29 of theactuator 28.

Loss of Electric Power

This event may occur if electric power is lost, a supply transformerfails, a circuit breaker is opened, or any other cause interrupts powerto the sorting scale 35. The sorting scale 35 can be made to respond topower loss by releasing air pressure at the scale and going into “limpmode.” By connecting the safety bypass gate 10 to the same air pressureline used by the sorting scale 35, the safety bypass gate 10 willautomatically unlock upon the release of air pressure at the scale 35for an added measure of safety for high usage facilities.

Mechanical Damage to Sorting Scale Interrupting Use

If mechanical damage to the sorting scale 35 occurs (e.g., broken partsblocking the passage), a controller 42 associated with the sorting scale35 notes the interruption using its idle alert function. Upon activationof the idle alert function, the survey scale 35 automatically goes into“limp mode” to release the safety bypass gate 10 until the sorting scale35 can be repaired.

Blockage of Sorting Scale

The sorting scale 35 may become blocked if an animal dies in the sortingscale 35 or next to its entry, or if penning or any other object isaccidentally lodged within the scale 35. When such an event occurs, theidle alert function of the controller 40 of the sorting scale 35 can beactivated, causing the sorting scale 35 to go into “limp mode” torelease the safety bypass gate 10.

Load Cell Failure

If the load cell on the sorting scale 35 is destroyed by lightning orcorrosion or is accidentally disconnected, then the idle alert functionof the controller 40 can be activated and the sorting scale can go into“limp mode” to release the safety bypass gate 10.

Incorrect Controller Settings

If the user chooses certain settings on the controller 40 for thesorting scale 35, these settings may lead to lack of use of the sortingscale 35. Then in some cases, the idle alert function of the controller40 may be activated causing the sorting scale 35 to go into “limp mode”to release the safety bypass gate 10.

Upon occurrence of any one of these events/conditions, the safety bypassgates 10 are automatically unlocked and moved into their open positions,as shown in FIG. 9. The animals are then allowed to pass freely throughthe bypass gate 10 as necessary to continue their normal pattern ofmovement between the watering area 36 and the feeding areas 37, 38. Thisrelieves the emergency situation that might otherwise result if thewatering area 36 becomes overpopulated, or if animals are prevented fromaccessing their feed in the feeding areas 37, 38. The user can theninspect and correct the problem, and then reset the safety bypass gates10 into their closed and locked position.

The safety bypass gate 10 is reset by first disconnecting air pressurefrom the pneumatic actuator 28 using a manual air valve 41. The gatemembers 17, 19 are then gathered together under the channel member 26and, when aligned, the air pressure is reconnected using the manual airvalve 41 to lower the channel member 26 into locking engagement with thetop edges 21, 22 of the gate members 17, 19. Of course, it is importantto keep fingers and hands clear of the channel member 26 to avoidpersonal injury as the channel member 26 re-engages the gate members 17,19.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the safety bypass gates 10 are locatedimmediately next to the sorting scale 35. It is believed that theanimals will tend to use the safety bypass gates 10 more effectively inthis position as the animals develop the habit of seeking an exit fromthe watering area 36 at the sorting scale 35.

One safety bypass gate 10 may be sufficient to provide a measure ofsafety until an abnormal condition is corrected in the livestockfacility (e.g., all of the animals could be kept temporarily in just oneof the feeding areas 37, 38). However, the use of two safety bypassgates 10, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, will provide an added measure ofsafety and will eliminate the possibility of the animals becomingovercrowded and unduly stressed before the abnormal condition iscorrected. In an alternative arrangement, a first safety bypass gate 10can be located between the watering area 36 and one of the feeding areas37, and a second safety bypass gate 10 can be located between the twofeeding areas 37, 38. When two or more safety bypass gates 10 are used,they can be connected to the same source of air pressure so that theyare activated simultaneously.

It is also noted that pen layouts using three and four way sorts arepossible using the technology described in Applicant's U.S. Pat. No.7,210,428. In this case, additional safety bypass gates 10 can be usedto ensure that animals are allowed emergency access to the additionalfeeding areas during abnormal conditions.

While the invention has been described in connection with specificembodiments thereof, it is to be understood that this is by way ofillustration and not of limitation, and the scope of the appended claimsshould be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of managing livestock, comprising:providing a pen having a watering area separate from a feeding area, afirst passage between said watering area and said feeding area, asorting scale located in said first passage, a second passage betweensaid watering area and said feeding area, and a safety bypass gatelocated in said second passage, said safety bypass gate having anormally closed position that prevents animals from passing through saidsecond passage; sorting animals using said sorting scale as they passbetween the watering and feeding areas; activating an idle alertfunction upon determining that a use rate of the sorting scale is belowa normal use rate; and causing said safety bypass gate to automaticallymove from said closed position to an said open position when said idlealert function is activated to provide an emergency exit through saidsecond passage.
 2. The method of managing livestock according to claim1, further comprising causing said safety bypass gate to automaticallymove from its closed position to its open position upon occurrence of atleast one of a loss of air pressure and a loss of electric power.
 3. Themethod of managing livestock according to claim 1, wherein said feedingarea comprises first and second feeding areas and said watering area isa common watering area into which animals from both the first and secondfeeding areas are allowed to enter and comingle, and wherein saidsorting step comprises using a sorting gate associated with said sortingscale to selectively direct animals from the watering area to the firstand second feeding areas, respectively, based on a detected weight ofthe animals.
 4. The method of managing livestock according to claim 3,further comprising using third and fourth passages comprising one-waygates for allowing animals to pass from the feeding areas to thewatering area, and using said a sorting scale to sort animals as theanimals pass through said first passage from the watering area to thefeeding areas.
 5. A method of managing livestock, comprising: providinga pen having a watering area and first and second feeding areas; sortinganimals by using a sorting mechanism to selectively direct animals fromthe watering area through a sorting passage and into either the firstfeeding area or the second feeding area, respectively; providing one-waygates for allowing animals to pass from the feeding areas back into thewatering area; providing a safety bypass gate having a normally closedposition and an emergency open position that allows animals to pass fromsaid watering area into at least one of said feeding areas; and causingsaid safety bypass gate to automatically move from said normally closedposition into said open position upon activation of an idle alertfunction caused by below-normal use rates of said sorting mechanism toprovide an emergency exit from said watering area into at least one ofsaid feeding areas.
 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein saidsafety bypass gate has a locking mechanism, and further comprisingholding said locking mechanism in a locked position by air pressure tomaintain the safety bypass gate in said normally closed position, andmoving said locking mechanism to an unlocked position using a springupon a loss of air pressure, whereby said emergency bypass gate movesfrom said normally closed position to said emergency open position toprovide an emergency exit upon loss of air pressure.
 7. The methodaccording to claim 6, wherein said loss of air pressure is responsive toa power failure.
 8. The method according to claim 6, wherein said lossof air pressure is responsive to a drop in pressure in a pneumaticsystem used to operate other parts of a livestock management system. 9.The method according to claim 6, wherein said safety bypass gatecomprises a pivoting gate member with a hinge along one side, and saidlocking mechanism comprises a channel member that fits over a top edgeof said gate member in said locked position to hold said gate memberagainst pivoting movement about said hinge.
 10. The method according toclaim 9, wherein said safety bypass gate comprises a pair of pivotinggate members, and said channel member fits over the top edges of both ofsaid gate members in said locked position.